This invention relates to a method for weaving fabrics with a rib structure, whereby on a weaving machine a backing fabric is woven by bringing weft yarns between warp yarns in successive weft insertion cycles, and whereby warp yarns are alternately woven into the backing fabric and are rib-formingly passed around over at least one weft yarn.
This invention also relates to fabrics with a rib structure, and more especially to fabrics which approximate the appearance of a loop pile fabric or bouclxc3xa9 fabric, and are in general referred to by the name of xe2x80x9cfalse bouclxc3xa9 fabricsxe2x80x9d, in which warp yarns are alternately woven into the fabric and are rib-formingly passed around at least one weft yarn.
This invention relates in particular to a so-called false bouclxc3xa9 carpet and a weaving method for manufacturing such a carpet.
According to a known method for manufacturing these types of carpets on a weaving machine a series of warp yarn systems are provided and in successive weft insertion cycles in each case two weft yarns are inserted one above the other in respective sheds between these warp yarns. Each warp yarn system comprises two pattern warp yarns and a tight warp yarn. With each weft insertion these warp yarns are brought into such positions in relation to the weft insertion levels that the pattern warp yarns cross over the weft yarns, so that a fabric is formed, in which tight warp yarns are woven, in which the pairs of weft yarns inserted in successive cycles extend alternately along the upper side and along the backside of the fabric, in which per warp yarn system a first pattern warp yarn extends alternately above a pair of weft yarns extending along the upper side of the fabric and between the weft yarns of a pair of weft yarns located along the backside of the fabric, and a second pattern warp yarn runs alternately between the weft yarns of a pair of weft yarns located along the upper side of the fabric and under a pair of weft yarns running along the bottom side of the fabric. A fabric is thus obtained of which both the upper side and the bottom side show a rib structure. In the course of the successive weft insertion cycles a rib line is produced alternately along the upper side and along the backside of the fabric. If the first and the second pattern warp yarn have a different color a two-color design or pattern can be made visible on the upper side of the fabric. On the backside of the fabric a type of negative (with swapped colors) is obtained of the design which is visible on the upper side of the fabric.
A disadvantage of this weaving method is that the fabrics woven according to this method only have a limited variation. The fabrics have the same rib structure over their entire surface and the patterns or designs woven therein only have two different colors.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a fabric with a rib structure, with which more variation can be brought into the appearance of the fabric.
This objective is achieved according to this invention if, with a method having the characteristics mentioned in the first paragraph of this specification, in a number of weft insertion cycles a loop-forming element is provided above the backing fabric and at least one pile warp yarn is loop-formingly passed around over this loop-forming element.
According to this method fabrics can be woven with a rib structure, in which areas with pile loops occur. A number of loops formed over the loop-forming element can be cut through so that areas with cut pile can also be obtained in the fabrics. These areas with cut pile may or may not be combined with areas with pile loops. According to this method a fabric can thus be woven with a combination of two or three different structures on the upper side.
These structure variations can be so provided that they form a certain figure, pattern or design in the fabric. Furthermore color variations can be achieved in the fabric by using different colored warp yarns, whereby warp yarn systems with two or more different colored warp yarns are provided in the fabric, whereby in each warp yarn system different warp yarns are allowed to form loops and/or ribs successively, in order to achieve a color variation in the fabric in accordance with a design, figure or pattern to be formed, and whereby the warp yarns with which no loops or ribs are formed in a certain place are woven into the backing fabric.
This method therefore enables fabrics with a rib structure to be manufactured with a much more varied appearance than according to the known weaving methods.
According to a preferred method according to this invention the loop-forming part of one or several loop-forming pile warp yarns is cut through, so that on the fabric at least one area with cut pile is obtained.
These warp yarns are preferably cut through by means of the loop-forming element. If a wire weaving machine is utilized cutting wires can be used for that purpose.
According to a particularly preferred method on the fabric with a rib structure at least one area with pile loops and at least one area with cut pile is also formed.
The fabric can best be woven on a wire weaving machine, whereby the aforesaid loop-forming elements are loop wires (for forming the pile loops) or wires with a blade (for forming cut pile).
The method according to this invention produces a fabric of good quality if for example in successive series of three weft insertion cycles in each case in the first cycle a first backing weft yarn, in the second cycle a second backing weft yarn, and in the third cycle a rib weft yarn is inserted between binding warp yarns and pile warp yarns, so that the aforesaid backing weft yarns and the binding warp yarns form a backing fabric, the aforesaid rib weft yarns run above this backing fabric, and the pile warp yarns are alternately interlaced in the backing fabric under a backing weft yarn and are rib-formingly passed around over a rib weft yarn.
Moreover for example in each case in the third cycle a loop-forming element can be provided above the backing fabric and the rib weft yarn, and loops can be formed in the fabric by alternately interlacing one or several pile warp yarns under a backing weft yarn in the backing fabric and loop-formingly passing it/them over a loop-forming element.
The loop-forming and the rib-forming pile warp yarns are with a very preferred weaving method according to this invention in each case interlaced in the backing fabric under the first backing weft yarn and run above the second backing weft yarn.
In order to obtain higher ribs and therefore a more pronounced rib effect a thicker weft yarn is used for the rib weft yarns than for the backing weft yarns.
In this method tight warp yarns are preferably also provided in the backing fabric.
Pile warp yarns or parts of pile warp yarns which do not form loops or ribs can be woven into the backing fabric.
The backing fabric is formed out of backing weft yarns and binding warp yarns, so that a layer of backing weft yarns is provided both above and below the tension warp yarns and/or the pile warp yarns woven in the backing fabric.
Another aspect of this invention is a fabric with a rib structure manufactured according to the method of this invention, such as described in the second paragraph of this specification, which also comprises at least one area with pile loops and/or at least one area with cut pile.
The fabric according to this invention is preferably manufactured according to the method according to this invention and is in its most preferred embodiment a so-called false bouclxc3xa9 carpet with cut pile and/or with pile loops.
In that which follows a possible method according to this invention is described in detail. The purpose of this specification is only to clarify further the aforesaid characteristics of the method and of the fabrics manufactured according to this method, and to specify further properties and distinctive features thereof, and may therefore in no way be considered as a restriction on the protection claimed for this invention in the claims of this patent application.
In this specification reference is made by means of reference numbers to the figures attached hereto, of which